The Boston Red Sox Are the 2018 World Series Champions

SteemSports Presenter:@mateonav53

SteemSports Editor:@scottybuckets

On Sunday night, the people of Boston and their beloved Red Sox were crowned World Series Champions in an empowering 5-1 Game 5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers have now lost their second consecutive World Series in a heartbreaking fashion, while the Boston Red Sox are elated at the other end of the emotional spectrum. They will be competitive for years to come with guys like the 26-year old Mookie Betts leading the charge.

Clayton Kershaw was given the ball with the Dodgers season on the line. His playoff performances have been discouraging compared to his regular season domination. Game 5 of the World Series started off looking like another classic Kershaw playoff disappointment, as he surrendered a two-run homer to Steven Pearce in the first inning. 2-0 Red Sox with the early lead. Pearce picked up right where he left off from his dominating Game 4 performance the night before.

It didn't take long for LA to strike back. David Freese, the first Dodger batter of the night, blasted a homer to right field to give ailing Dodger fans a semblance of hope. Freese also tripled to deep right field in the bottom of the third as Red Sox right fielder JD Martinez lost track of the ball in the stadium lights. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, Freese was left stranded on the basepaths to end the inning.

As LA struggled to drum up some momentum, the Red Sox got cooking again in the sixth and seventh to gain distance in this once-close game. Mookie Betts broke his cold streak of thirteen straight empty at-bats with a home run to deep left field. That put the Red Sox up 3-1. JD Martinez followed that up with a moonshot to center field in the seventh inning to make it 4-1 Red Sox. The home run parade for the Red Sox finally ended in the eigth inning with another Steven Pearce bomb to the bleacher seats.

Those home runs were akin to arrows to the heart in intervals to Dodger fans, but to Sox supporters like periodic shots of adrenaline to the veins. LA's bats were just nonexistent tonight. You wouldn't be wrong to assume that their spirits were just broken after that heart-wrenching Game 4 loss the night before.

But the Boston Red Sox were the best team all year, winning 108 regular season games and capping it off with a World Series title. Chris Sale threw the final pitch to soon-to-be free agent Manny Machado - a strikeout to ring in the 2018 MLB Championship.

While the Red Sox will be celebrating in the weeks to come, the Dodgers will be licking their wounds, rationalizing their pain, and scheming on which direction to go in their offseason. Clayton Kershaw may have thrown his last pitch as a Dodger on Sunday night. He has a player option in his contract that he can exercise this summer if he so chooses. If he exercises it, he can make himself a free agent and ask for even more money from the Dodgers or find a home in another organization.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are at an undeniable crossroads. We all know Clayton has struggled mightily deep into the postseason, but he's also climbing the age ladder. He will be 31 when the new season starts. It'll be up to Dodgers management to decide whether or not they want to lock him up long term once again. Manny Machado will also command major money in the free agent market, and manager Dave Roberts is a candidate to be fired as the baseball-less winter nears.

Steven Pearce was given the honors of World Series MVP thanks to his incredible series where he put up three home runs(two of them tonight) in crucial moments. David Price drew the start and threw seven incredible innings, no doubt eradicating some of the doubt from his past playoff failures. It was a convincing win from top to bottom. Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox on winning the 2018 World Series.

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